Method of and apparatus for conditioning bobbins in spinning frames



1967' c. v. JONES, sR.. ETAL 3,300,961

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING BOBBINS IN SPINNING FRAMESFiled July 29, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS COY V JONES, SR. OTTO E.A. EDLER A TTORNE Jan. 31,1967 c. v JONES, SR. ETAL METHOD OF ANDAPPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING BOBBINS IN SPINNING FRAMES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed y 29, 1964 ml 3 WW M .l

[NVENTORS COY v. JONES, SR. OTTO E. A. EDLER B- W United States Patent M3,300,961 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONDITION- ING BOBBINS IN SPINNINGFRAMES Coy V. Jones, Sr., Greer, and Otto E. A. Edler, Greenville, S.C.,assignors to Southern Machinery Company,

Greer, S.C., a corporation of South Carolina Filed July 29, 1964, Ser.No. 385,896 16 Claims. (CI. 57-54) This invention relates broadly totextile spinning frames and more particularly to a method and apparatusoperating in conjunction with a spinning frame to condition bobbinswhich have been produced by the spinning frame.

When bobbins have been completely built in a spinning frame of themovable ring rail type and the tip bunches have been formed on the uppertips of the bobbins, the ring rail is lowered, either manually orautomatically, to a point below the lower ends of the bobbins,preparatory to doffing. This lowering of the ring rail producesa fewwraps of yarn on the exterior of the bobbins between the tip bunch andthe lower end of the bobbins and the yarn is then wound upon the spindleto a certain extent. When the bobbins are removed or doifed into thedoif cart container, the yarn is broken between the spindle and thebottom of the bobbin or package and a loose tail end or doif tail isproduced at the bottom of the bobbin, which may be several inches long.This tail is an integral extension of the few wraps above-mentioned onthe bobbin produced by ring rail lowering.

When the bobbins, with the loose doif tails, are placed in thecontainers, there is danger that the tails of various bobbins willbecome entangled and that the tip bunches will be damaged when thebobbins are transferred by hand from the container to the automaticfilling magazine on the loom. The same problem exists for the bobbins inthe automatic filling magazine.

When the tip bunch extractor in the loom, or winder, pulls off the tipbunch, the several wraps of yarn on the bobbin including the tailproduce a drag because of sticking to the body of the bobbin package andthis drag can break the yarn between the package and the tip bunch,which is obviously undesirable.

The object of this invention is to overcome the above problems incidentto the free doif tail prior to the dofiing operation, by automaticallywinding the tail including the above-mentioned several wraps into thetip bunch so that the end of the yarn is on the tip bunch without anyloose tail and without the necessity of unwinding the several externalwraps of yarn normally on the bobbin between its bottom or butt and thetip bunch.

Other detailed objects and advantages of the invention will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art during the course of the followingdescription.

Briefly stated, the invention apparatus first lifts each bobbin slightlyon its spindle to free the bobbin for independent turning. Each bobbinis then caused to rotate momentarily in the direction of spin or windingto break the yarn between the wraps on the bottom of the spindle and theseveral wraps or tail on the bobbin package. Immediately after this,each bobbin is caused to rotate in the opposite direction or counter tothe spin direction to separate the doff tail including the several wrapsfrom the package. Following this, each bobbin is caused to rotatebriefly in the winding or spin direction to wind up the now separateddoff tail directly and evenly into the tip bunch, th-us completelyeliminating the loose dofi tail and the several objectional yarn wrapson the package caused by ring rail lowering. The invention involves amethod of conditioning bobbins on spinning frames and a particularapparatus for practicing the method.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application and inwhich like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout thesame.

ifihfiflbl Patented Jan. 31, 1967 FIGURE 3 is an enlarged horizontalcross section taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary plan view, partly in section, taken on line 44of FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 55 of FIGURE 2.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown apreferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 10 designates thehorizontal stationary spindle rail of a conventional spinning machinehaving a movable ring rail 11 upon which is mounted the usual ringholders 12 and rings 13 having travelers, not shown. Conventionalspindles 14 are rotatably mounted upon the spindle rail 10 and projectthereabove vertically and carry bobbins 15 which are produced in thespinning machine by a well known mode of operation involving therotation of the spindles during vertical traversing of the ring railover the bobbins to gradually build them with yarn.

' When the packages or bodies of the bobbins 15 are completely built inthe spinning frame, tip bunches 16 may be applied to the upper tips ofthe bobbins in a well known manner and the yarn constituting the tipbunches is continuous with the yarn forming the bobbins proper. Uponcompletion of the tip bunches 16, the ring rail 11 is loweredpreparatory to doffing to approximately the position shown in FIGURE 1,and this may be done automatically or by manual foot pedal means, wellknown in'the art. The lowering of the ring rail 11 causes several spacedwraps 17 of yarn to be wound on the exterior of the bobbins from the tipbunches 16 down to their lower ends or butts 18. A few more wraps ofyarn, are formed on the portions of the spindles 14 immediately belowthe butts 18 of the bobbins.

As previously explained when the bobbins 15 are doffed in the usualmanner, the yarn is broken between the spindles 14 and packages and aloose tail end or doff tail results on each bobbin including the severalwraps 17 with the aforementioned disadvantages.

The invention apparatus proper comprises a mounting or slide bar 19which is somewhat L-shaped in cross section, FIGURE 5, and suitablymounted upon rigidly connected with a conventional doff cart, not shownin the drawings, which is pushed along the spinning frame and guided inany suitable manner so as to travel parallel to the spindle rail 10 andring rail. As depicted in FIGURE 5, the inner vertical face 20 of bar 19and a narrow horizontal face 21 thereof may have positive slidingengagement along the ring rail 11 to assure proper guiding of theinvention apparatus all carried by the bar 19. As shown in FIGURE 5, thebar 19 is stepped upon its underside to clear the elements 12 and 13 asit slides along the ring rail.

At its forward side or side nearest the bobbins, the mounting bar 19 hasan upturned longitudinal flange 22 including a leading inclined portion23 constituting a wedge to slide beneath the butt 18 of each bobbin asthe doif cart moves along the spinning frame. This action raises eachbobbin about one-quarter inch on its spindle and thereby loosens thebobbin for free rotation independently of the spindle in a manner to bedescribed. As shown in the drawings, the bar 19 is about as long as thespace between three bobbins on the spinning machine, and once thebobbins have been elevated by the inclined portion 23 they ride up ontothe horizontal portion 22 of I the bar 19, as shown in FIGURE 3, forexample.

A small vertical axis reversible electric motor 24 is rigidly secured asat 25 to the outer side of mounting bar 19 and carries upon the upperend of its armature shaft a drive spool or wheel 26 having grooves 27and 28 for a pair of belts 29 and 30.

The belt 29 which operates in a horizontal plane close to the top faceof mounting bar 19 engages three spaced apart frooved wheels 31, 32 and33, each carrying a rubber tire or driving ring 34 immediately above thebelt 29. Each driving ring 34 of the aforementioned three wheels isadapted in succession to frictionally engage and drive or rotate eachspindle butt 18 in a particular direction, as shown in the drawings.

The wheels 31, 32 and 33 are mounted upon vertical spindles 35 which arepressed into vertical openings in the horizontal wall of the mountingbar 19, FIGURE 5. The three spindles 35 are spaced apart equidistantlyand in a row parallel to the row of bobbins on the invention apparatus.As clearly shown in FIGURE 3, the belt 29 engages the drive wheels 31,32 and 33 so as to cause the intermediate wheel to rotate in theopposite direction from the two outer wheels and the arrangement can bereversed because the motor 24 is reversible.

The belt 30 immediately above the belt 29 engages an integral groovedpulley 36 of an upstanding rotary cylindrical brush hub 37 journaledupon the same middle spindle 35 as the wheel 32 but rotatableindependently of the middle wheel 32 and in the opposite direction, asshown by the arrow in FIGURE 3. The brush hub or tube 37 has a multitudeof rather stiff brush bristles 38 projecting therefrom to form acylindrical brush spanning substantially the entire height of eachbobbin 15 and adapted to engage the surface thereof in a manner to befurther described. It will be understood that the motor 24 drives thebrush and the three wheels 31, 32 and 33 simultaneously in the directionof the arrows shown in FIGURE 3.

Associated with the brush 38 is a fixed vertically extending comb 38whose closely spaced horizontal teeth 40 project into the brush bristlessomewhat tangentially and circumferentially as best shown in FIGURES 4and 5. The comb 39 is substantially coextensive lengthwise or verticallywith the rotary cylindrical brush and coacts therewith to separate theloose yarn end or tail 41 from the brush bristles in a manner to bedescribed. The comb 39 is suitably anchored to one end spindle 35 bylugs 42. A top cover 43 having an inclined surface as shown in FIGURES 2and is also mounted upon the intermediate and one end spindle 35,adjacent the top of the comb and rotary brush. This top cover includesan integral guide hook extension 44, FIGURE 2, close to the adjacentspindle 35. A small tension brush 45 having depending bristles 46 coversand surrounds the guide hook 44 as shown in FIGURES 2 and 5 for apurpose to be described. The guide book extension 44 is at the elevationof the tip bunches 16 on the bobbins. The tension brush 45 is alsomounted upon the adjacent spindle 35 immediately above the top cover 43.

The apparatus also includes suitable covers 47 and 48 for the belts 29and 30 and an upstanding curved shield 49 to enclose the exposed side ofthe rotary brush and associated parts. The shields and covers could beomitted, if preferred but are desirable from the standpoint ofappearance and safety.

The mode of operation of the apparatus in the practice of the method isas follows:

The mounting or slide bar 19 carrying the invention apparatus moves withthe dofi cart along the spinning frame. If desired, the bar 19 could beprovided with an independent wheel chassis other than the doif cart, butfor obvious reasons, it is preferably mounted upon the doff cart. Asdescribed, the bar 19 has sliding guided engagement with the loweredring rail.

The inclined wedge face 23 of bar 19 moves under and vates each bobbinin succession to free the bobbins from their spindles for independentrotation. After each bobbin is freed from its spindle and held elevatedby the flange 22, its butt 18 first comes into contact with the drivewheel 31 as the apparatus moves in the direction of the arrows, FIGURESl, 3 and 4. The wheel 31 turns the particular bobbin clockwise or in thespin direction, FIGURE 3, and this immediately breaks the tail 41between the wraps on the spindle 14 and the lower end of the bobbin. Thetail 41 now has a free end but continues to include the several wraps 17adhering to the bobbin package.

Immediately thereafter, the same bobbin, FIGURE 4, is engaged by theintermediate wheel 32 driven by belt 29. At this same time and position,the yarn package proper is engaged by the rotary brush 38. Due to thearrangement of belts previously described, the particular bobbin isturned counterclockwise or against the spin direction as shown by thearrow in FIGURE 4. Simultaneously, the yarn package of this bobbin comesinto contact with the counterclockwise rotating brush 38. The brushbristles grip or engage the tail end 41 which is still wrapped on thebobbin and transfer the tail end over the comb teeth during rotation ofthe brush. The comb teeth in effect strip or comb the tail 41 out of thebrush and the tail now hangs freely over the top cover 43 and down theback of the comb as approximately illustrated in FIG- URE 2. Thecoaction of the comb and brush is approximately illustrated in FIGURE 5.

Finally, as the doff cart continues to move along the spinning frame,the same bobbin is engaged by drive wheel 33 which turns the bobbinagain clockwise or in the spin direction or yarn wind-up direction. Suchengagement is illustrated best in FIGURE 2. The loose dotf tail 41 isnow caused to slide up the inclined surface of the top cover 43 and intothe guide hook 44 and is maintained under some tension by the brushbristles 46 or tension brush, FIGURE 2. Since the guide hook 44 is atthe same elevation as the tip bunch 16 on the particular bobbin, therotating bobbin winds the tail 41 tightly and evenly into the tip bunchto become a part thereof. This completely eliminates the severalobjectionable wraps 17 and the loose doff tail extension and causes theend of the yarn to terminate at and within the tip bunch. The completelyconditioned bobbins in accordance with the invention are depicted at theright hand sides of FIGURES 1 and 2. The sequence of operation isrepeated from bobbin-to-bobbin as the doff cart carrying the bobbinconditioning apparatus continues to be pushed along the spinning frame.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown anddescribed is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and thatvarious changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may beresorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scopeof the subjoined claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. A method of conditioning bobbins in a spinning frame prior to dofiingthe bobbins to eliminate loose dolf tails thereon and undesirable yarnwraps caused by ring rail lowering comprising the steps of engaging thebobbins in succession and raising them slightly to loosen them on theirspindles for freed-om of rotation, engaging the raised bobbins insuccession and turning them in the direction of spin to break the yarnnear the bottoms of the bobbins and creating a loose tail end, againengaging the bobbins in succession and turning them in the oppositedirection against the direction of spin and unwinding said yarn wrapsfrom the bobbin packages, and then engaging and turning the bobbins insuccession in the direction of spin to wind up the separated tail endinto the tip bunches of the bobbins and thereby eliminating said wrapsand tail ends.

2. A method of conditioning bobbins in a spinning frame comprisingelevating each bobbin in succession on its spindle to free it forindependent rotation, rotating each bobbin in succession in onedirection for breaking the yarn end, rotating each bobbin in theopposite direction and simultaneously engaging the yarn end to unwrapthe same from the body of the bobbin and cause it to hang freely, andthen again rotating each bobbin in the firstnamed direction to Wind upthe hanging yarn end into the bobbin tip bunch.

3. The invention as defined by claim 2, and the additional steps ofengaging, supporting and guiding the unwrapped yarn end near theelevation of the tip bunch, and applying tension to the yarn end whilewinding it up into said tip bunch.

4. A method of conditioning a bobbin mounted upon a spindle in aspinning frame prior to doffing comprising the steps of elevating thebobbin slightly to free it from the spindle for independent rotation,turning the elevated bobbin in a first direction for breaking the yarnend on the bobbin, turning the elevated bobbin in a second direction andsimultaneously engaging the bobbin with a rotary member turning the samedirection to unwrap the yarn end from the body of the bobbin, supportingand guiding and tensioning the unwrapped yarn end at approximately theelevation of the bobbin tip bunch, and again turning the bobbin in saidfirst direction to wind up the yarn end directly into the tip bunch.

5. Apparatus for coaction with a spinning frame to condition bobbins onsaid frame comprising a mobile support member having guided engagementalong the spinning frame, means on said member engageable with thebottoms of bobbins to elevate them slightly on their spindles to freethem for rotation, and rotary means on said member including spacedrotary drive elements to engage each bobbin in succession duringmovement of the support member along the frame to first turn each bobbinin one direction and then in a second direction and then again in saidfirst direction to cause breaking, unwinding and rewinding into a tipbunch of the bobbin tail end.

6. The invention as defined by claim 5, and an independently rotatingbrush element engageable with each bobbin to aid in said unwinding ofthe tail end.

7. The invention as defined by claim 6, and a comb having teethprojecting into said brush element to separate the tail end from thebrush element and free it for winding up into said tip bunch.

8. The invention as defined by claim 7, and additional means near theelevation of the tip bunch for supporting, guiding and tensioning saidtail end during said winding up into said tip bunch.

9. A method of conditioning bobbins in spinning frames having dofi tailswrapped thereon due to ring rail lowering preparatory to doflingcomprising the steps of slightly elevating each bobbin to free it fromits spindle for rotation, briefly rotating each elevated bobbin in thespin direction to break the dotf tail near the bottom of the bobbin,briefly rotating the bobbin in the opposite direction and engaging thesame with an adhering member to unwrap the dofi tail from the bobbin,and then again rotating the bobbin in the spin direction for winding theunwrapped doff tail on the bobbin in a plurality of closely arrangedwraps at a selected elevation on the bobbin.

10. The invention as defined by claim 9, and the additional steps ofsupporting, guiding and lightly tensioning the unwrapped doff tailduring said winding on the bo n.

11. Apparatus for conditioning bobbins in spinning frames, said bobbinshaving doff tails wrapped thereon due to ring rail lowering preparatoryto dotting, said apparatus comprising a carriage member to move alongthe spinning frame in guided relation thereto, continuously rotatingmeans on the carriage member to first engage each bobbin and brieflyrotate it in the spin direction to break each doff tail between thebobbin and spindle, said means then causing each bobbin to turn in theopposited direction briefly, additional rotary means engaging eachbobbin when the bobbin is rotating in said opposite direction to unwrapsaid doif tail therefrom so that the dotf tail is freely disposed, saidcontinuously rotating means then re-engaging each bobbin and againbriefly rotating it in the spin direction to wrap the doff tail into thetip bunch of the bobbin thereby eliminating the d-off tail.

12. Apparatus for conditioning bobbins com-prising a support memberadapted to move along the ring rail of a spinning frame, a motor on saidmember, three spaced upstanding spindles on said member, a correspondingnumber of drive wheels on said spindles adapted to engage the butts ofbob-bins during movement of the support member along the ring rail, beltmeans interconnecting the motor and drive wheels so that the twooutermost drive wheels turn in one direction and the intermediate drivewheel turns in an opposite direction continuously, a rotary brushjournaled on the intermediate spindle above the intermediate drivewheel, separate belt means interconnecting the motor and brush anddriving the brush continuously in the direction of rotation of the twooutermost wheels and oppositely to the intermediate wheel, said brushadapted to engage bobbin packages during movement of said member alongthe ring rail.

13. The invention as defined by claim 12, and a stationary comb devicehaving teeth projecting into said brush so that doff tails engaged bythe brush may be stripped therefrom preparatory to winding up in the tipbunches of bob-bins.

14. The invention as defined by claim 13, and a cover member at theupper ends of the brush and comb including an inclined face and a guidehook extension substantially at the elevation of the tip bunch, and astationary brush having bristles extending over the guide bookextension.

15. The invention as defined by claim 12, and a wedge part on theleading end of the support member to pass beneath the bottoms of bobbinsand elevating them slightly on their spindles to loosen them for freerotation.

16. The invention as defined by claim 15, and a level flange partrearwardly of the wedge part on said member to maintain the bob-binselevated during conditioning by said apparatus.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,653,440 9/ 1953Partington 5753 2,886,940 5/1959 Vrano et al. 5753 3,176,458 4/1965DuBuis et a1. 57-53 3,176,458 4/1965 DuBuis et al 5753 3,204,397 9/1965Cugini 57-53 FRANK I. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

1?. E. WATKINS, Assistant Examiner.

5. APPARATUS FOR COACTION WITH A SPINNING FRAME TO CONDITION BOBBINS ONSAID FRAME COMPRISING A MOBILE SUPPORT MEMBER HAVING GUIDED ENGAGEMENTALONG THE SPINNING FRAME, MEANS ON SAID MEMBER ENGAGEABLE WITH THEBOTTOMS OF BOBBINS TO ELEVATE THEM SLIGHTLY ON THEIR SPINDLES TO FREETHEM FOR ROTATION, AND ROTARY MEANS ON SAID MEMBER INCLUDING SPACEDROTARY DRIVE ELEMENTS TO ENGAGE EACH BOBBIN IN SUCCESSION DURINGMOVEMENT OF THE SUPPORT MEMBER ALONG THE FRAME TO FIRST TURN EACH BOBBININ ONE DIRECTION AND THEN IN A SECOND DIRECTION AND THEN AGAIN IN SAIDFIRST DIRECTION TO CAUSE BREAKING, UNWINDING AND REWINDING INTO A TIPBUNCH OF THE BOBBIN TAIL END.